Proposed hospital wins state approval

Jason Grant, communications director for Prince William County, says a hospital planned for the Haymarket area will be a big plus for local residents.

“It’s an opportunity for people who need hospital services to get them closer by,” Grant says. “[Also] new jobs will be brought in, and that is important for job growth.”
In December, the commonwealth approved Prince William Health System’s plan to build a 60-bed hospital near the intersection of Route 15 and Interstate 66. The health system, which is the parent company of Manassas-based Prince William Hospital, had filed a Certificate of Public Need (COPN) application in January 2010.
The new hospital will bring health services and 400 jobs to the western part of a fast-growing county. From April 2000 to July 2009, the county grew 34.8 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. During the same time period, Virginia’s overall population rose only 11.4 percent. Richard Belden, chairman of the Prince William Health System board of trustees, says the county’s population, estimated at 360,910 in 2009, is expected to add nearly 100,000 people during the next 10 years.

“The need for health-care services is great in western Prince William County, and we have been working to ensure that the residents have access to the health-care services they requested,” says Melissa Robson, president of Prince William Hospital. “With the approval of our COPN, we are able to move ahead with this $94 million project.”

The hospital will be located on the same 40-acre site as the Heathcote Health Center. That facility, which includes 24-hour emergency care, saw a 6.7 percent increase in patients from 2009 to 2010. The hospital will have 60 private suites and provide general, medical and surgical services. It will also have a newborn nursery as well as intensive care and labor and delivery suites.

Prince William Health System is now moving forward with the permitting process. “As we work through this phase, we will finalize the hospital design and plan for construction,” says Robson.